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Supreme Ambitions
Supreme Ambitions details the rise of Audrey Coyne, a recent Yale Law School graduate who dreams of clerking for the U.S. Supreme Court someday. Audrey moves to California to clerk for Judge Christina Wong Stinson, a highly regarded appeals-court judge who is Audrey’s ticket to a Supreme Court clerkship. While working for the powerful and driven Judge Stinson, Audrey discovers that high ambitions come with a high price. Toss in some headline-making cases, a little romance, and a pesky judicial gossip blog, and you have a legal novel with the inside scoop you’d expect from the founder of Above the Law, one of the nation’s most widely read and influential legal websites. Supreme Ambitions is the first novel by David Lat, founder and managing editor of Above the Law. This is legal fiction with an ‘insider’ scoop, a page-turner that will have readers both within and outside of the legal community enthralled. In addition, fans of Lat’s incredibly successful and influential Above the Law blog will find this a real treat from one of their favorite writers. What others are Saying About Supreme Ambitions " This fine novel by a leading Internet commentator and analyst of the courts provides disquieting insight into the secretive world of federal judges, and their brilliant anxious young law clerks."
--Judge Richard A. Posner “So realistic, it makes your teeth hurt. So much fun, you can’t put it down. A sprightly, gripping novel with a serious message about the rewards and dangers of unbridled ambition.”
--Chief Judge Alex Kozinski “Lat’s novel is a cross between a serious look into the heart of darkness and an insouciant study of Manolo Blahnik footwear.”
--Judge Richard G. Kopf, Hercules and the Umpire “[A] legitimate page-turner. Overall, it’s a smashing success.”
--Steve Klepper, Maryland Appellate Blog
--Judge Richard A. Posner “So realistic, it makes your teeth hurt. So much fun, you can’t put it down. A sprightly, gripping novel with a serious message about the rewards and dangers of unbridled ambition.”
--Chief Judge Alex Kozinski “Lat’s novel is a cross between a serious look into the heart of darkness and an insouciant study of Manolo Blahnik footwear.”
--Judge Richard G. Kopf, Hercules and the Umpire “[A] legitimate page-turner. Overall, it’s a smashing success.”
--Steve Klepper, Maryland Appellate Blog
284 pages, Hardcover
First published December 7, 2014
15 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
About the author
David Lat
3 books29 followersDavid Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law, an award-winning legal website that reaches more than 1 million unique visitors a month. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. Prior to starting Above the Law, he founded Underneath Their Robes, a blog about federal judges. David previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. David graduated from Regis High School, Harvard College, and Yale Law School. Supreme Ambitions is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
March 26, 2015
Quick read -- started and finished on a single flight. There are some portions that are a bit clunky; although the most likely readers of this book are likely lawyers and law students, Lat clearly wants this to be able to appeal to a broader audience. Unfortunately, the parts where he over-explains legal concepts in order to bring those people on board are also the least realistic and most boring, especially when they are shoehorned into dialogue.
On the whole, however, I think it's a great and entertaining exploration of (1) what it means to clerk; (2) the ambitious overachieving prestige-seeking that you really do encounter at T14 law schools and in federal courts; and (3) my personal soapbox, the problems/tensions that arise from political pressures on judges.
The plot itself is better than I thought it would be; the stakes aren't as high as in your average Grisham novel (the immigration case could have upped the stakes, but was really used more to highlight the judge's politics than to emphasize real-world consequences of judicial decisions).
Well worth a read and a great way to pass a few hours.
On the whole, however, I think it's a great and entertaining exploration of (1) what it means to clerk; (2) the ambitious overachieving prestige-seeking that you really do encounter at T14 law schools and in federal courts; and (3) my personal soapbox, the problems/tensions that arise from political pressures on judges.
The plot itself is better than I thought it would be; the stakes aren't as high as in your average Grisham novel (the immigration case could have upped the stakes, but was really used more to highlight the judge's politics than to emphasize real-world consequences of judicial decisions).
Well worth a read and a great way to pass a few hours.
February 2, 2015
I identify this novel as important, because while most Americans have some knowledge of criminal trials from books, movies, and television, very few have any idea of how the appeals process works, and little insight into the role of appellate judges, their clerks, and the lawyers who constitute the working blocks of this facet of our Judicial System. And by illustrating this more esoteric arena via a novel that entertains while it educates, Lat makes a highly valuable contribution to our understanding of this critical component of the Judicial System, and I highly recommend it as a must read.
Supreme Ambitions’ angle of entry inside this world is to provide the reader with a fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day lives and motivations of the young, super-competitive law clerks who win highly coveted positions with federal appeals judges, by focusing, in a fast-paced and contemporary style, on one young Harvard undergrad/Yale Law School grad as she comes to terms with the “little monstrous,” “tough, strident, and manipulative” behavior required to be successful.
From the beginning, it is clear that most of these clerks (who play a vital role in providing appellate judges with mountains of research and recommendations on important legal issues) are there as a stepping-stone to a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship, which in turn is a ticket to a $300,000 signing bonus (goodbye student loans!) at a prestigious New York law firm. Artfully, Lat provides the reader with an insight into the long hours, the minutiae, and the complete lack of credit that are part and parcel of the clerks’ job, and allows the reader to repeatedly face the ethical questions that haunt the novel’s young protagonist Audrey.
In the end, while being entertained, the reader is presented with a clear view of the personal and career consequences both of going along to get along, as well as the contentious issue of (relative) whistle-blowing, and comes away perhaps more cynical about the human workings of the Judicial System, but with at least a trace of idealism extant.
Congratulations to David Lat for authoring such a valuable and must-read book!
Supreme Ambitions’ angle of entry inside this world is to provide the reader with a fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day lives and motivations of the young, super-competitive law clerks who win highly coveted positions with federal appeals judges, by focusing, in a fast-paced and contemporary style, on one young Harvard undergrad/Yale Law School grad as she comes to terms with the “little monstrous,” “tough, strident, and manipulative” behavior required to be successful.
From the beginning, it is clear that most of these clerks (who play a vital role in providing appellate judges with mountains of research and recommendations on important legal issues) are there as a stepping-stone to a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship, which in turn is a ticket to a $300,000 signing bonus (goodbye student loans!) at a prestigious New York law firm. Artfully, Lat provides the reader with an insight into the long hours, the minutiae, and the complete lack of credit that are part and parcel of the clerks’ job, and allows the reader to repeatedly face the ethical questions that haunt the novel’s young protagonist Audrey.
In the end, while being entertained, the reader is presented with a clear view of the personal and career consequences both of going along to get along, as well as the contentious issue of (relative) whistle-blowing, and comes away perhaps more cynical about the human workings of the Judicial System, but with at least a trace of idealism extant.
Congratulations to David Lat for authoring such a valuable and must-read book!
December 26, 2014
As a law student, my view of this book might be a bit slanted, but that's okay. It was still an amazingly good read with quite a few plot twists.
First of all, a book about a law clerkship might not be glamorous to the non-legal reader. There are some parts of the book that I can see someone losing interest in, but resist the urge to quit! Lat's characters have a good level of depth and a bit a predictability/stereotyping, but I think that's intentional. Lat is a well-known legal commentator and this book mirrors some aspects of his life. (I admit that I did not know that UTR/A3G were real until after I finished the book.) There are also some stereotypes about different law schools, but that's to be expected, as well - I mean, stereotypes develop and persist because they often have nuggets of truth to them. That being said - don't expect this to be a book with a some huge romantic twist, or horrific, bloody scene that turns the tables of the plot. After all, it still is a book about a law clerkship. The best part about this book is how the actual plot twist is an ethical dilemma the main character has, which can be surprising to a reader not in the legal field with an antiquated or unfounded view of all lawyers as unethical, crooked, or deceitful.
There is something about Lat's writing style that kept me reading, partly due to his character development, partly due to his ability to advance the plot of the book, and partly due to the simple fact that he writes well overall. One of my favorite things to happen while reading a book is to be able to vividly imagine the characters, and Lat's writing enables me to do that. I also enjoyed how the story progressed - I kept wanting to finish the book even though there weren't those huge literary bombshells pulling me along. Again, it was his style that really drew me in.
Don't read this if you're looking for another Grisham-esque novel (don't get me wrong, I love Grisham and he is part of the reason I even went to law school!). Do read this if you are looking for an intriguing story with a solid plot and realistic characters, regardless of whether you are interested in the legal field - particularly the clerking side of things - or not.
First of all, a book about a law clerkship might not be glamorous to the non-legal reader. There are some parts of the book that I can see someone losing interest in, but resist the urge to quit! Lat's characters have a good level of depth and a bit a predictability/stereotyping, but I think that's intentional. Lat is a well-known legal commentator and this book mirrors some aspects of his life. (I admit that I did not know that UTR/A3G were real until after I finished the book.) There are also some stereotypes about different law schools, but that's to be expected, as well - I mean, stereotypes develop and persist because they often have nuggets of truth to them. That being said - don't expect this to be a book with a some huge romantic twist, or horrific, bloody scene that turns the tables of the plot. After all, it still is a book about a law clerkship. The best part about this book is how the actual plot twist is an ethical dilemma the main character has, which can be surprising to a reader not in the legal field with an antiquated or unfounded view of all lawyers as unethical, crooked, or deceitful.
There is something about Lat's writing style that kept me reading, partly due to his character development, partly due to his ability to advance the plot of the book, and partly due to the simple fact that he writes well overall. One of my favorite things to happen while reading a book is to be able to vividly imagine the characters, and Lat's writing enables me to do that. I also enjoyed how the story progressed - I kept wanting to finish the book even though there weren't those huge literary bombshells pulling me along. Again, it was his style that really drew me in.
Don't read this if you're looking for another Grisham-esque novel (don't get me wrong, I love Grisham and he is part of the reason I even went to law school!). Do read this if you are looking for an intriguing story with a solid plot and realistic characters, regardless of whether you are interested in the legal field - particularly the clerking side of things - or not.
December 19, 2014
Supreme Ambitions distinguishes itself as a 'sui generis' work of legal fiction. The plot is nimble and breezy; it drew me in from the outset and kept me reading voraciously. But it's constructed around sophisticated legal concepts and an exploration of the politics of ostensibly non-political jurists -- which takes it out of the realm of 'guilty pleasure.' This may also make it the perfect read for every lawyer in your life, or wonk, or court-watcher, or anyone who has ever been a young professional. Lat, through his main character, Audrey (a young go-getter who clerks for a polished, successful, and ultimately unprincipled federal judge) explores the discomfort of arriving at 'success' and finding that the climate there isn't quite what you expected. His treatment of Audrey's uncomfortable realizations -- that her idols are fragile, the institutions she reveres are impure, and that her own moral compass is not as finely calibrated as she'd assumed -- shows a mastery of the light touch and conversational style he has developed as a blogger, and also a deep understanding of how difficult it is to forge one's own path into adulthood, and to make choices when the helpful guardrails of youth and higher education begin to fall away. He also manages to capture, with quiet poignancy, both the triumph and melancholy of growing into oneself, and redefining what success and happiness are when you're no longer the person who set their sights on a distant goal. I can only hope that a sequel is in the works, so we can see what Audrey does with her hard-won maturity.
December 18, 2014
As a former Ninth Circuit clerk and SCOTUS-clerk hopeful, I felt like I'd traveled back to my post law school days while reading David Lat's SUPREME AMBITIONS. The book is an expert depiction of federal appellate court chambers and the extremely elite, ambitious lawyers who occupy them. It's not the world depicted in Law & Order or the Good Wife, but Lat still manages to create drama.
December 8, 2014
I don't often read fiction, but I loved this. On the one hand, the book is fun and a pleasure to read. I couldn't put it down and read it in a few sittings. There are some good laugh moments, and the intrigue keeps the plot moving forward. In that regard, the book reminded me of two other fun novels that I enjoyed: The Rule of Four and The Dante Club.
On the other hand, I found the book powerful and hard-hitting for it's treatment of ambition, careerism, and achievement. As the title suggests, this is a book about ambition, and, as a young lawyer, I found it to be an introspective read. At times, the book hit pretty close to home for me, as I think it perfectly captures the law-clerk psyche. The author has said this about the book: "I wanted to explore the fascinating mindset of the young law clerk: the vacillation between confidence and insecurity, between innocence and experience, between channeling someone else—your judge—and finding your own professional identity.” The book captures that vacillation pretty well. One judge has described the novel as a book about judges' "brilliant anxious young law clerks," and I think that that too is accurate.
I don't think this is a book solely for lawyers, as Legally Blonde is not a movie solely for lawyers. Yes, there is some law in the book, but it's explained. The (very realistic, I think) characters are at the heart of the book. One reviewer has said that the "the degree of obsession . . . portrayed in the book is extreme," but I'm not so sure. I think part of the point of the book is exposing and questioning extreme obsession that otherwise is never seen in the open. The characters' varying degrees of obsession with their career goals may not be so uncommon; what the book does is put this obsession--generally hidden from view--on the table for all to pass judgment. It's somewhat uncomfortable, but it's an important conversation. The book neither celebrates nor condemns ambition; we see both its rewards (prestige, power, longer obituaries) and its costs (lost vacations, dates, mental serenity). There was a great commentary on this book in the HuffPost that placed it in the "excellent sheep" genre of literature, and I think that's fair. But again, there is no excoriating of the overachieving organization kid. The protagonist is likable, and her ambition is not (purely) bad.
The HuffPost commentary noted that "at the end of the day," even those with supreme ambitions "are still actual people with families, dreams, aspirations, and concerns." In one of my favorite scenes in the book, the judge opens up about her own insecurities and tells her clerk that people need to "walk a mile in my Manolos" before rushing to judgment. Ambition is a complicated impulse but one that this book thoughtfully explores.
On the other hand, I found the book powerful and hard-hitting for it's treatment of ambition, careerism, and achievement. As the title suggests, this is a book about ambition, and, as a young lawyer, I found it to be an introspective read. At times, the book hit pretty close to home for me, as I think it perfectly captures the law-clerk psyche. The author has said this about the book: "I wanted to explore the fascinating mindset of the young law clerk: the vacillation between confidence and insecurity, between innocence and experience, between channeling someone else—your judge—and finding your own professional identity.” The book captures that vacillation pretty well. One judge has described the novel as a book about judges' "brilliant anxious young law clerks," and I think that that too is accurate.
I don't think this is a book solely for lawyers, as Legally Blonde is not a movie solely for lawyers. Yes, there is some law in the book, but it's explained. The (very realistic, I think) characters are at the heart of the book. One reviewer has said that the "the degree of obsession . . . portrayed in the book is extreme," but I'm not so sure. I think part of the point of the book is exposing and questioning extreme obsession that otherwise is never seen in the open. The characters' varying degrees of obsession with their career goals may not be so uncommon; what the book does is put this obsession--generally hidden from view--on the table for all to pass judgment. It's somewhat uncomfortable, but it's an important conversation. The book neither celebrates nor condemns ambition; we see both its rewards (prestige, power, longer obituaries) and its costs (lost vacations, dates, mental serenity). There was a great commentary on this book in the HuffPost that placed it in the "excellent sheep" genre of literature, and I think that's fair. But again, there is no excoriating of the overachieving organization kid. The protagonist is likable, and her ambition is not (purely) bad.
The HuffPost commentary noted that "at the end of the day," even those with supreme ambitions "are still actual people with families, dreams, aspirations, and concerns." In one of my favorite scenes in the book, the judge opens up about her own insecurities and tells her clerk that people need to "walk a mile in my Manolos" before rushing to judgment. Ambition is a complicated impulse but one that this book thoughtfully explores.
June 8, 2015
More like 2.5. The style is a mix of beach read and bar journal. The characters made me thankful that I'm no longer in my 20s. The plot made me realize how tired I am of law snobbery. And the way the sole African-American spoke bothered me. She is the only character who genuinely loves the law and intellectual engagement with it, but her dialogue is like a spoof of a Real Housewives show.
On the plus side, the story does bring you into the day-to-day world of appellate court clerking. It explicitly raises questions about diversity (of all types) in the courts, and it implicitly raises questions about the celebrity status of (at least some) judges. Also, I like books that pit strong women characters against each other (without having them fighting over men or being rescued by men). Finally, the law teaching nerd in me enjoyed that the judges were categorized as good or bad based on their writing skills and how intensively they mentored their clerks in writing.
If my students asked me, I'd recommend but with reservations. Although I'm not a fan of Above the Law, I respect the author's social media skills and would give his future fiction efforts a shot.
On the plus side, the story does bring you into the day-to-day world of appellate court clerking. It explicitly raises questions about diversity (of all types) in the courts, and it implicitly raises questions about the celebrity status of (at least some) judges. Also, I like books that pit strong women characters against each other (without having them fighting over men or being rescued by men). Finally, the law teaching nerd in me enjoyed that the judges were categorized as good or bad based on their writing skills and how intensively they mentored their clerks in writing.
If my students asked me, I'd recommend but with reservations. Although I'm not a fan of Above the Law, I respect the author's social media skills and would give his future fiction efforts a shot.
April 27, 2016
Excellent treatise on jurisdiction and judicial feeder clerkships, but the characters are one dimensional and the writing didactic.
January 5, 2015
This was a page-turner! Excellent plot with lots of very realistic details. I really felt for the main character, Audrey, and her struggles. The author did a great job of portraying what an elite judicial clerkship is like, especially the way that clerks often "try on" the ethics and priorities of their judge while on the way to figuring out what their own ethics and priorities are.
I had some issues with the writing style. The dialog is very unrealistic -- people don't talk in formal sentences like that, even if they are Harvard/Yale-educated lawyers. The other thing that made me roll my eyes were the long exposition sections. I think they were intended to make the book more accessible to non-lawyers, but I don't think it worked. A non-lawyer would get tripped up in the many technical details that are necessary to understanding the story, and on the other hand, important concepts that are much-discussed, such as "dicta" aren't explained in the book. So I don't think this would work very well for non-lawyers, and along the way it ends up having long sections of unnecessary background that the book's main audience in the legal profession already knows about.
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this. I skimmed through some of the longer exposition bits and focused on the plot, and had a great time with it. It was fun to read a novel that was very close to home with my own experience. I've spent quite a lot of time in that very courthouse where the story takes place, and the characters of the clerks and judges were very true to what one finds in real life.
I had some issues with the writing style. The dialog is very unrealistic -- people don't talk in formal sentences like that, even if they are Harvard/Yale-educated lawyers. The other thing that made me roll my eyes were the long exposition sections. I think they were intended to make the book more accessible to non-lawyers, but I don't think it worked. A non-lawyer would get tripped up in the many technical details that are necessary to understanding the story, and on the other hand, important concepts that are much-discussed, such as "dicta" aren't explained in the book. So I don't think this would work very well for non-lawyers, and along the way it ends up having long sections of unnecessary background that the book's main audience in the legal profession already knows about.
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this. I skimmed through some of the longer exposition bits and focused on the plot, and had a great time with it. It was fun to read a novel that was very close to home with my own experience. I've spent quite a lot of time in that very courthouse where the story takes place, and the characters of the clerks and judges were very true to what one finds in real life.
September 14, 2016
Awful. Every character worse than the previous. Based on a famous, if short-lived, gossipy anonymous legal blog called "Article III Groupie," which we all assumed was written by a woman associate at a large firm. Turned out to be a gay man who was working for (as I recall) then Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie; once "out of the closet" (so to speak) Christie wouldn't fire him but suggested his talents might lie elsewhere.
This novel is proof that his work -- which I confess previously to enjoying -- was better in small doses. Mean spirited. And who is the audience? Lawyers hardly want this sort of busman's holiday -- there's a Judge Reinhardt clone and a Judge Kozinsky clone -- and I can't believe anyone else cares enough about competing for Supreme Court Clerkships.
This novel is proof that his work -- which I confess previously to enjoying -- was better in small doses. Mean spirited. And who is the audience? Lawyers hardly want this sort of busman's holiday -- there's a Judge Reinhardt clone and a Judge Kozinsky clone -- and I can't believe anyone else cares enough about competing for Supreme Court Clerkships.
December 31, 2014
I read this book mainly because I follow a legal blog that the author also writes. I follow a lot of legal blogs, so hopefully they all don't start writing fiction. This was an easy read in the style of the Devil Wears Prada, about a law clerk with a "feeder" judge to the Supreme Court. It was definitely written by an insider in the legal industry, and I am not sure how it would have read to me two years ago before I understood some of the ins and outs of the prestige associated with federal judicial clerkships. Still a fun read, I basically read it from beginning to end between arriving in the airport in Newark and landing in Houston.
February 14, 2015
Excellent novel with insights into the federal judiciary and the competitive process of wanting to be a Supreme Court Justice for one character, and a Supreme Court law clerk for another character. All of the characters were well-developed, and it is easy for anyone outside the field of law to identify with their backgrounds, desires, and relationships. Among the first novels I have read that accurately describes what minority female professionals experience and will hopefully shed light upon others. It is fun to read and hard to put down. Excellent writing by David Lat and unreal character development. This should be turned into a movie. Can't wait to see what David Lat does next!
January 24, 2015
From world conquer to jurisdictional restrain-A Fun Read
It's a great and easy read giving insights and real anecdotes on how aspiring SCOTUS clerks (mainly from a female perspective) and judges see their ambitions.
It's a great and easy read giving insights and real anecdotes on how aspiring SCOTUS clerks (mainly from a female perspective) and judges see their ambitions.
February 26, 2015
Interesting, fun read. Enough plot to keep you turning the page. Not sure that I love the main character - but the story moved along really well.
March 10, 2015
For lawyers who've been through this race already, the book is a pedantic and sometimes insufferable read -- but, for the schmucks who love them, it might be informative and entertaining.
April 9, 2020
Novelist David Lat is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School which are, respectively, the most selective undergraduate university and most selective law school in the world. He would be the second of my friends, following the late Julie Hilden, to achieve these academic distinctions, and like Hilden, he held a prestigious legal clerkship after graduating and thus he possesses a true insider’s grasp of a rarefied world at the very top of the legal profession. He is also, with the publication of “Supreme Ambitions” a writer and artist so it is here that I, with my lowly literature B.A. step in and examine the text-as-it-is and review it with reference to the standards of our domain where degrees count for less and real life experience for more. We (of the literature world) may even be less forgiving than a Supreme Court judge!
Because of Lat’s elevated background, I began Supreme Ambitions believing that there would be a high barrier to entry but that the experience would be fruitful in the end. To my surprise, the story unfolded in fluent, accessible prose and like one other Goodreads reviewer mentioned, “you could start and finish the book in one flight.” Lat doesn’t waste words, his prose is brisk, and the twists of plots even when surprising are believable. Furthermore, through a tiny measure of didacticism, I found myself learning a lot about a world I had very little knowledge about, but peopled by believable figures with high expectations.
Overall, I recommend this book. However, that being said, the characterisation of the protagonist’s rivals is a touch on the nose. For example, one of her competitors whose dreams she destroys apparently just rolls over belly-up and doesn’t plot his revenge in any manner, let alone change his verbal interactions with the protagonist. We would call this an example of the protagonist having very solid “plot armor,” (i.e., nothing bad can harm the main character until it becomes necessary in the plot). A cheerful all-American spirit pervades the work, and had the work taken on an even greater scope, we would call it a Great American Novel of sorts. That said, Lat is dealing with the specialized world he inhabits and it’s a fine thing to read his dispatches from the front.
Yes, possibly so. But with recent news that Lat has overcome COVID-19, we can look forward to the future works to come from this talented scribbler, who stands, of course, at the beginning of a great career to come.
Because of Lat’s elevated background, I began Supreme Ambitions believing that there would be a high barrier to entry but that the experience would be fruitful in the end. To my surprise, the story unfolded in fluent, accessible prose and like one other Goodreads reviewer mentioned, “you could start and finish the book in one flight.” Lat doesn’t waste words, his prose is brisk, and the twists of plots even when surprising are believable. Furthermore, through a tiny measure of didacticism, I found myself learning a lot about a world I had very little knowledge about, but peopled by believable figures with high expectations.
Overall, I recommend this book. However, that being said, the characterisation of the protagonist’s rivals is a touch on the nose. For example, one of her competitors whose dreams she destroys apparently just rolls over belly-up and doesn’t plot his revenge in any manner, let alone change his verbal interactions with the protagonist. We would call this an example of the protagonist having very solid “plot armor,” (i.e., nothing bad can harm the main character until it becomes necessary in the plot). A cheerful all-American spirit pervades the work, and had the work taken on an even greater scope, we would call it a Great American Novel of sorts. That said, Lat is dealing with the specialized world he inhabits and it’s a fine thing to read his dispatches from the front.
We can’t all become Supreme Court justices, or even federal judges, or even prominent lawyers with note-worthy cases. And this reality is not unique to law. Very few doctors will cure a major disease. Very few actors will win Oscars or Tony Awards. Very few writers will pen best sellers. Very few bankers will become billionaires. Very few soldiers will become generals.
We can’t all become part of history; we can’t all become stars. Instead, we must serve as members of the chorus, or even the audience, so the true stars can stand out and shine. Indeed, without supporting players or an audience, there can be no stars. The role of being an audience member, while not prominent, is essential. It’s the role played by the vast, vast majority of humanity, and it holds no dishonor.
Yes, possibly so. But with recent news that Lat has overcome COVID-19, we can look forward to the future works to come from this talented scribbler, who stands, of course, at the beginning of a great career to come.
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June 2, 2024not inoffensive...I needed to find out what a clerkship was though
January 29, 2015
Long time blogger and legal commentator David Lat recently published his debut novel, Supreme Ambitions. In his first outing, Lat follows a slightly different trail into fictional representation of the law than the typical Michael Connelly or John Grisham legal thriller. More accurately described as legal realism, Lat explores the heady heights of the legal community as seen through the eyes of that elite band of young world burners who serve as clerks to federal court judges.
Supreme Ambitions, as a story, is better than the sum of its parts in that Lat opens the door to chambers and gives the reader a peek at life behind the black robes, and those who cling so tightly to those robes. There is, in the world of lawyers, a stark dividing line between those attorneys who shape policy and make headlines and live the fabulous lives of the rich and famous, and all of the rest of us who toil away in obscurity to do all the true dirty work necessary to keep the legal system grinding along. To the lay reader, Lat's main character, Audrey Coyne, comes across as a thinly one-dimensional waif incapable of telling the novel's story. In Coyne I found the secret, hidden ambitions I once harbored as a law student, trailing behind her the scent of classism that runs rampant in the legal practice.
There is another element to Coyne that rings true. I recall in my second year of law school reading an article about the trend of law students to emotionally isolate themselves in the midst of a high pressure, competition driven environment in law school. Those emotionally stunted law students go on to be emotionally stunted lawyers, surrounding themselves with legions of other emotionally stunted lawyers. Those who are not lawyers, or married to lawyers, may fail to pick that up in Lat's writing, but this element has a ring of truth to it as well.
Whether Lat was exceedingly clever in revealing these elements along the way of telling his intriguing story, or whether he backed into by blind luck is yet to be determined. As is the case with most first time novelists, and too many "established" novelists, the dialogue is often blocky and a chore to read. Lat also tends to err on the side of the professorial in feeding the need to educate the reader about complex legal theories. Lat also makes some bold choices about the portrayal of minorities in these uber-sensitive, mondo politically correct days; some of his phrases and choices made even this aging, southern "good old boy" blush.
For all of these problems, Lat still does what all good writers must: tell an engaging story.
This review was the product of a free, left over advanced reader's copy gathering dust in the bowels of the publisher and provided to me at the special request and insistence of the author.
Supreme Ambitions, as a story, is better than the sum of its parts in that Lat opens the door to chambers and gives the reader a peek at life behind the black robes, and those who cling so tightly to those robes. There is, in the world of lawyers, a stark dividing line between those attorneys who shape policy and make headlines and live the fabulous lives of the rich and famous, and all of the rest of us who toil away in obscurity to do all the true dirty work necessary to keep the legal system grinding along. To the lay reader, Lat's main character, Audrey Coyne, comes across as a thinly one-dimensional waif incapable of telling the novel's story. In Coyne I found the secret, hidden ambitions I once harbored as a law student, trailing behind her the scent of classism that runs rampant in the legal practice.
There is another element to Coyne that rings true. I recall in my second year of law school reading an article about the trend of law students to emotionally isolate themselves in the midst of a high pressure, competition driven environment in law school. Those emotionally stunted law students go on to be emotionally stunted lawyers, surrounding themselves with legions of other emotionally stunted lawyers. Those who are not lawyers, or married to lawyers, may fail to pick that up in Lat's writing, but this element has a ring of truth to it as well.
Whether Lat was exceedingly clever in revealing these elements along the way of telling his intriguing story, or whether he backed into by blind luck is yet to be determined. As is the case with most first time novelists, and too many "established" novelists, the dialogue is often blocky and a chore to read. Lat also tends to err on the side of the professorial in feeding the need to educate the reader about complex legal theories. Lat also makes some bold choices about the portrayal of minorities in these uber-sensitive, mondo politically correct days; some of his phrases and choices made even this aging, southern "good old boy" blush.
For all of these problems, Lat still does what all good writers must: tell an engaging story.
This review was the product of a free, left over advanced reader's copy gathering dust in the bowels of the publisher and provided to me at the special request and insistence of the author.
December 14, 2015
When I was assigned by Positively Filipino to interview David Lat I admit I was out of his normal orbit since I'm not a lawyer and haven't followed his blog. But I did have high expectations for Supreme Ambitions based on the author's storied background and popularity. Though the novel was brought to print by a law publisher, I assure prospective readers that regular citizens will also relate with loathing or admiration for the cutthroat ambitions, the importance of being good and a chamber view of the law. Lat goes out of his way to explain the appeals process and the platform for ambition the federal judicial system creates. I urge non-lawyers to give this back court drama a read. The novel will take them into a nonfiction world they will find more thrilling and funny than they could have predicted especially if they're accustomed to unreal dimensions that have been quite popular up to now.
May 30, 2018
The book centers around Audrey Coyne, an ambitious young law clerk. I appreciated the bluntness of characters like Jeremy and Harvetta, who provided much comic relief to the book. It's hard to stomach the pure ambition of Audrey's judge at first, but it was great to get that insight from the judge that "there's always some place to go" and the tension that Audrey deals with in processing it as well. As an aspiring law student, I appreciated a peak into the inside world of clerks and their bridling of other ambitions. I also appreciated that it was an easy read and not too legally dense. However, I think that the events in the end are pretty improbable, no matter how much I appreciate endings that are happy for the main character.
September 6, 2016
As a novel, this book is amateurish as best. Wooden prose, coarse exposition, on-the-nose characters, transparent pseudonyms—at first sight, there's not much to recommend it. But I found myself unable to put it down. The plot plods along in the first half, but picks up substantially in the second half. It's driven by a problem of legal ethics that's actually quite difficult. And the protagonist's meditations on the interaction between ethics and ambition are—well, actually, quite good.
In the end, I agree with Will Baude: "I still can’t decide whether this is a ridiculous book or an insightful one. It might be both."
In the end, I agree with Will Baude: "I still can’t decide whether this is a ridiculous book or an insightful one. It might be both."
March 3, 2015
Somewhat disappointing. As a lawyer, I found some of the dialogue and legal jargon unrealistic and not genuine. I don't think most lawyers need an overly simplistic explanation of legal principles and I don't think non-lawyers would be interested in this book. It's not really a "tell-all" account of what goes on behind the scenes of clerking and it's not really a mystery or a thriller. The characters are poorly developed and somewhat flat. The Supreme Court Justices were so thinly disguised as to be a joke. At least it was short and a quick read.
Read
June 30, 2016Given my day job, I'm not entirely sure why I'd want to read yet more about the gossipy travails of a bunch of young, well-educated-and-emotionally-stunted lawyers whose main attribute is their blatantly self-interested careerism. But there we are. The dialogue is corny and stilted, but the story zips along with zest and there are three gay supporting characters, which is more than usual. A book I'd only be likely to read on a beach, but that's where I am.
January 5, 2015
Some interesting inside info on the role of a judge's law clerk in the US judicial system and on the nomination procedures for Supreme Court positions, but I found the writing somewhat stilted and the plot rather unbelievable....but maybe I'm just naive.
June 8, 2015
Very inside baseball, but Lat pulls off a great story based in the usually unassuming world of the federal judiciary in his debut novel. A must read for a litigator, or law student looking to clerk or practice in a firm.
January 23, 2016
This a very fun novel by David Lat. an entertaining story focused on a clerk for a 9th Circuit judge. Dives into that Unique relationship and shows the competitiveness and anxiety in the clerks world. Hope to see future novels by Davit Lat, founder of Abovw the Law.
August 7, 2017
I was told this book would be an easy read, and it was. It took me three days to finish(after all English is my second language, and I have LSAT to think about).
Judge Posner's name is in the acknowledgment, which I thought quite interesting.
Judge Posner's name is in the acknowledgment, which I thought quite interesting.
August 1, 2017
"To be a successful professional woman, you need to be a little mostrous." -David Lat
Passed my expectations I truely enjoyed this book.
Passed my expectations I truely enjoyed this book.
May 28, 2022
A Peek Behind the Legal Curtain: Readable, But Surprisingly Tone-Deaf
This book falls outside my usual repertoire; I read it as part of a work-based book club. It ended up being a propitious moment in history to read it given the Supreme Court's current high-profile current events, most especially its leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade and the upcoming swearing-in of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Here are my thoughts:
*BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The novel follows Audrey Coyne, a recent Yale Law graduate and an Asian-American woman, in her pursuit to clerk for a Federal Appeals Court judge and, later, a U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) Justice. Audrey experiences a much more politicized and cutthroat approach to "the law" than she initially expected, most notably being told by her Federal Judge boss (the fictional Asian-American Judge Christina Wong Stinson) that "to be a successful professional woman, you need to be a little monstrous." Audrey goes through an entire roller-coaster ranging from initial wide-eyed innocence (and ambition) to a defensive posture of Stinson's immoral behavior to an ultimate repudiation of Stinson to, luckily enough, a surprise route to clerk for a Supreme Court Justice after all.
*A PEEK BEHIND THE LEGAL CURTAIN: This book offers unique insights into the hidden world of legal clerks, which had never been on my radar before. I had heard bits and pieces about, for example, current Supreme Court Justices having clerked for their predecessors, but this book made me aware of the real prestige that comes from nabbing a Supreme Court clerkship. Per the book, a clerkship guarantees all young lawyers a prestigious career with massive signing bonuses to any law firm in the country. Interesting stuff! The book also gives us a glimpse into the actual work these clerks do, from researching legal theory to composing draft opinions. I think I could have been a lawyer in another life, and this book scratched that curiosity-itch by giving me the glimpse of a courtroom life that I'll never experience. (Note that the author knows what he's talking about, since he also clerked for a Federal Judge right after finishing law school.) Perhaps more interestingly, the book also explores the various management styles and perspectives of judges across the political spectrum, exploring the line they walk between judicial restraint and judicial activism.
*STRONG FOCUS ON INTERSECTING DISADVANTAGE: One of the book's central themes is the barriers that minorities (including women, people of color, and people of nontraditional gender identities/sexual orientations) face in the legal profession. Audrey constantly agonizes about whether her ambition (and poor choices) are justified to promote the "ends" of advancing her career as an Asian-American woman and/or the "ends" of the conservative causes she/hre judge care about. Several characters make good arguments on both sides of this question, leaving it ultimately and intriguingly unresolved.
*READABLE, BUT WITH A LOT OF TONE-DEAF CONTENT: The novel's first-person perspective is engaging and kept me interested throughout. Audrey's steady betrayal of all her friends kept the story moving, but also didn't make her a very appealing protagonist. For the same reason, I didn't really like that Audrey lucked into a happy ending anyway--I wish her poor decisions had come with real consequences. I was also surprised/disappointed by the many offensive comments and themes strewn throughout the book, especially given the author's apparent intent to cast a spotlight on inequities in the legal world. The harmful generalizations and blindspots were pretty widespread: Audrey's constant body shaming, hurtful insults about members of the LGBT+ community, implications of sanctioned sexual harrassment committed by men in power, of and even unhelpful stereotypical comments about Audrey's and Justice Stinson's (both Asian-American women) poor driving skills. Even if some of it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek (which is unclear), it left a pretty sour taste in my mouth overall. If the author meant to put down this sort of rhetoric, I wish at least one character could have taken a stand against it; all the silence left the comments painfully unresolved.
This book falls outside my usual repertoire; I read it as part of a work-based book club. It ended up being a propitious moment in history to read it given the Supreme Court's current high-profile current events, most especially its leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade and the upcoming swearing-in of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Here are my thoughts:
*BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The novel follows Audrey Coyne, a recent Yale Law graduate and an Asian-American woman, in her pursuit to clerk for a Federal Appeals Court judge and, later, a U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) Justice. Audrey experiences a much more politicized and cutthroat approach to "the law" than she initially expected, most notably being told by her Federal Judge boss (the fictional Asian-American Judge Christina Wong Stinson) that "to be a successful professional woman, you need to be a little monstrous." Audrey goes through an entire roller-coaster ranging from initial wide-eyed innocence (and ambition) to a defensive posture of Stinson's immoral behavior to an ultimate repudiation of Stinson to, luckily enough, a surprise route to clerk for a Supreme Court Justice after all.
*A PEEK BEHIND THE LEGAL CURTAIN: This book offers unique insights into the hidden world of legal clerks, which had never been on my radar before. I had heard bits and pieces about, for example, current Supreme Court Justices having clerked for their predecessors, but this book made me aware of the real prestige that comes from nabbing a Supreme Court clerkship. Per the book, a clerkship guarantees all young lawyers a prestigious career with massive signing bonuses to any law firm in the country. Interesting stuff! The book also gives us a glimpse into the actual work these clerks do, from researching legal theory to composing draft opinions. I think I could have been a lawyer in another life, and this book scratched that curiosity-itch by giving me the glimpse of a courtroom life that I'll never experience. (Note that the author knows what he's talking about, since he also clerked for a Federal Judge right after finishing law school.) Perhaps more interestingly, the book also explores the various management styles and perspectives of judges across the political spectrum, exploring the line they walk between judicial restraint and judicial activism.
*STRONG FOCUS ON INTERSECTING DISADVANTAGE: One of the book's central themes is the barriers that minorities (including women, people of color, and people of nontraditional gender identities/sexual orientations) face in the legal profession. Audrey constantly agonizes about whether her ambition (and poor choices) are justified to promote the "ends" of advancing her career as an Asian-American woman and/or the "ends" of the conservative causes she/hre judge care about. Several characters make good arguments on both sides of this question, leaving it ultimately and intriguingly unresolved.
*READABLE, BUT WITH A LOT OF TONE-DEAF CONTENT: The novel's first-person perspective is engaging and kept me interested throughout. Audrey's steady betrayal of all her friends kept the story moving, but also didn't make her a very appealing protagonist. For the same reason, I didn't really like that Audrey lucked into a happy ending anyway--I wish her poor decisions had come with real consequences. I was also surprised/disappointed by the many offensive comments and themes strewn throughout the book, especially given the author's apparent intent to cast a spotlight on inequities in the legal world. The harmful generalizations and blindspots were pretty widespread: Audrey's constant body shaming, hurtful insults about members of the LGBT+ community, implications of sanctioned sexual harrassment committed by men in power, of and even unhelpful stereotypical comments about Audrey's and Justice Stinson's (both Asian-American women) poor driving skills. Even if some of it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek (which is unclear), it left a pretty sour taste in my mouth overall. If the author meant to put down this sort of rhetoric, I wish at least one character could have taken a stand against it; all the silence left the comments painfully unresolved.
August 6, 2021
On page 24: "Judge, I wouldn't mind having you as a benevolent dictator!"
On page 53: "Marveling at the marble, I thought to myself: this is a temple to the law, my boss is one of the law's high priestesses, and I am one of her acolytes."
The whole book reads like this. Profoundly idiotic. And, contrary to how the quotes above might be read, it really isn't satire (or if it is, it's hard to see who or what is being satirized). I think Lat intends us to take these characters somewhat seriously as semi-interesting or compelling people. Which is difficult because essentially every character is self-involved and conniving while somehow at the same time being catastrophically naive and unable to grasp the most basic facts about their surroundings. It's an unusual combination.
The book is so chock-full of insufferable people that I hate-read it all the way to the end. (Well, it's short.)
But if you are familiar with the Ninth Circuit, you will recognize many of the characters. So that's a kind of cheap fun, I guess.
On page 53: "Marveling at the marble, I thought to myself: this is a temple to the law, my boss is one of the law's high priestesses, and I am one of her acolytes."
The whole book reads like this. Profoundly idiotic. And, contrary to how the quotes above might be read, it really isn't satire (or if it is, it's hard to see who or what is being satirized). I think Lat intends us to take these characters somewhat seriously as semi-interesting or compelling people. Which is difficult because essentially every character is self-involved and conniving while somehow at the same time being catastrophically naive and unable to grasp the most basic facts about their surroundings. It's an unusual combination.
The book is so chock-full of insufferable people that I hate-read it all the way to the end. (Well, it's short.)
But if you are familiar with the Ninth Circuit, you will recognize many of the characters. So that's a kind of cheap fun, I guess.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews